The software giant has announced that the next release of its Edge browser will disable Flash by default. If you visit a site that depends on Flash, you'll still be able to run it, if you wish. You can opt to "allow once" or "always allow" if you absolutely must see that Flash content.

Meanwhile, sites that support HTML5 will "default to a clean HTML5 experience," according to a blog post from Microsoft Edge PM Manager John Hazen and Senior Program Manager Crispin Cowan. "In these cases, Flash will not even be loaded, improving performance, battery life, and security," they wrote.

Microsoft isn't yet going full speed ahead with ditching Flash, however. The software giant said this change won't initially affect the most popular sites which still rely on Flash, so as to "ease the transition."

"In the coming months, we will actively monitor Flash consumption in Microsoft Edge and will gradually shorten the list of automatic exceptions," Hazen and Crowan wrote. "At the end of this process, users will remain in control, and will be able to choose Flash for any site they visit… This change will provide all users improved performance, greater stability, and stronger security."

Google and Mozilla have made similar moves with their own browsers. Chrome automatically pauses many Flash ads by default to improve user performance. Firefox doesn't block or pause all versions of Flash by default, but it does block some versions—mostly older versions—so users aren't affected by any vulnerabilities they might have.

About the Author

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She ... See Full Bio

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